2009 Opponent Preview - Nevada Wolf Pack

With a lack of general news at this time of the year, I thought it would be a good idea to start running through our 2009 opponents. I'm not sure how frequently these will come (maybe one every few days or so), but the goal is to make it through them all before fall practice starts (I know, I'm really challenging myself here).

So naturally I'll kick things off with the first team on the slate, the Nevada Wolf Pack.

The Irish have never played the Wolf Pack before. Nevada runs the pesky Pistol formation on offense, where the quarterback sets up in a semi-shotgun formation, in between the center and runningback. It helps give the QB more time to get back to the pocket and analyze a defense, along with giving the running back a running start on handoffs (as opposed to starting from a dead start, as with the shotgun formation). The formation was first implemented by Nevada coach Chris Ault in 2004, and has helped the Wolf Pack against teams with a talent advantage over the WAC squad. Nevada used the formation to lead the WAC in total offense last season, along with finishing the year second in the nation in rushing yards.

Here's a look at their offensive personnel:
Backfield: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick returns for his junior year after being named the WAC offensive player of the year. Kaepernick threw for 2,849 yards and 22 touchdowns last year (against 7 interceptions), along with rushing for 1,130 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2008. Nevada also returns their leading rusher from last year, Vai Taua, who had 1,521 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year. Taua was a 1st team All-WAC selection.
Receivers: Kaepernick lost his leading receiver from last season, Marko Mitchell, who had 61 catches for 1,141 yards and 10 touchdowns. Chris Wellington is the only receiver in the top 3 to return from 2008. Wellington posted a solid 42 receptions for 632 yards and six scores last year. Tight end Virgil Green returns, though he played a small part in the passing game last season, making only 14 receptions. Receiver Brandon Wimberly was redshirted last year, while receiving scout team player of the year honors.
Offensive Line: Nevada loses their top offensive lineman from last year, 1st team All-Wac center Dominic Green, a four year starter for the Wolf Pack. They return three starters from 2008; guard John Bender and tackles Mike Gallett and Alonzo Durham. The Wolf Pack line was one of the better ones in the WAC last season, allowing just 19 sacks in 13 games. Center Kenneth Ackerman takes over for Green, while JUCO recruit Aminiasi Silatolu steps in as a new starter at guard.

Nevada runs a traditional 4-3 defense which was aggressive against lesser talent last year, yet become more conservative against better opponents. They allowed 400 yds/game last season, with 312 yds/game coming against the pass. They had plenty of sacks (36), but struggled against the pass in a pass heavy conference. Here's a look at the talent breakdown on defense for the Wolf Pack:
Defensive line: Nevada's defensive ends both return, coming off of double digit sack seasons. Dontay Moch lead the team last season with 11.5 sacks, while the other bookend, Kevin Basped, had 10 sacks of his own. Nate Agaiava is a returning starter at tackle, setting up next to new starter Mike Andrews. The unit was a big reason why the Wolfpack was able to average less than 100 yds/game rushing in 2008 (89 yds/game, 3.1 yds/carry).
Linebackers: This year's linebacking corps will be smaller for Nevada, but gains a good amount of speed. The Wolf Pack lose their third best tackler, Jushua Mauga, to graduation, and have to replace Jerome Johnson from the group as well. James-Michael Johnson started 8 games last season as a freshman, posting 49 tackles, 11 for a loss. Senior Mike Bethea steps into the middle of the LB corp this season. He started 3 games last season, totally 29 tackles in 8 games. Brandon Marshall, a sohomore, rounds out this group.
Secondary: While they struggled last year, giving up over 300 yds/game, the Nevada secondary returns both cornerbacks and their strong safety. Antoide Thompson (CB), Jonathon Amaya (SS), and Mo Harvey (FS) are all senior starters, with Isaiah Frey returning after starting the last three games of his freshman year. Amaya led the team with 4 interception last year, while Harvey had three of his own.

Special Teams: Nevada punter Brad Langley returns after averaging 44 yds/punt last season. Richard Drake will be the new kicker after transferring from junior college, where he hit 11-20 field goals with a long of 52. Ault's special teams units have struggled over the past five years, and this unit could be an issue in a close game, especially on the road.

Final thoughts: I'll harken back to a post I linked to earlier in the year on Subway Domer's blog for some important stats. The Irish and Wolf Pack both played Hawaii last year (the only common opponent). The Irish slammed Hawaii in the bowl game, while the Wolf Pack lost to the Rainbow Warriors by seven points. Nevada was 0-3 against BCS teams last year, losing to Texas Tech, Missouri, and Maryland. They also lost to Boise State, though it was a close game. The average score against the three teams they played that were in the top 25 (Missou, TTech, and Boise St) was 48-23. Nevada was also 2-5 against bowl teams, with their wins coming against Fresno State and Louisiana Tech.

The Wolf Pack were one of those teams in the middle of the NCAA nationally. They would beat up on teams with lesser talent, but get beat up by teams with more talent. I can't see the Irish losing, though last year's poor performance against San Diego State in the opener makes me wonder. It wouldn't surprise me to see Nevada put up some points against the Irish, though ND will have the fastest defense the Wolf Pack will see all year. Furthermore, the ND secondary should be able to shut down the Wolf Pack wide receivers, allowing Jon Tenuta to pressure the backfield and blitz early and often, giving Nevada trouble in the running game. I can see the Irish outscoring Nevada in a game with a lot of points, especially for the first game of the year.